PARIS, France – In its latest round of vehicle safety ratings, Euro NCAP has published the scores for the most recent additions to Nissan’s electrified line-up, the Ariya pure electric vehicle and the X-Trail equipped with e-POWER, which both achieved five stars.
The existing five-star ratings for Juke and Qashqai have been expanded to include the Hybrid and e-POWER versions respectively, rounding out the full range of Nissan electric vehicles and electrified crossovers with five-star Euro NCAP ratings.
Adult Occupant rating
In the adult occupant protection category both vehicles scored highly, with the Ariya achieving a score of 86% and the X-Trail achieving 88%. Although the two vehicles are built on different platforms, they share a common philosophy as they are built with ultra-high-strength steel in key areas to improve rigidity while allowing the force of an impact to be absorbed and reduced before reaching the passenger safety cell. The addition of a central airbag on both vehicles to prevent the collision of heads between the driver and front seat passenger in the event of a side impact contributes to their excellent lateral impact scores of 14.9 for the Ariya and 16 for the new X-Trail.
Child Occupant rating
In terms of child occupant protection, both vehicles achieved near identical ratings, with the Ariya at 89% and the new X-Trail 90%. In the crash-test assessment for child occupants based on six and 10-year old children, the X-Trail scored 23.3 points out of a possible 24, reflecting the outstanding protection it offers young occupants. The Ariya also achieved an outstanding score, with 22.9 out of 24. Both vehicles also achieved a maximum 12 points for the installation of Child Restraint Systems (CRS).
Vulnerable road users’ rating
In the category of testing that assesses the vehicle’s ability to identify and alert drivers to pedestrians or other exposed road-users, the new X-Trail achieved an overall score of 70%. In the same assessment, the Ariya achieves 74%. Both vehicles feature several active safety aids, including Intelligent Emergency Braking, which warns the driver and applies the brakes if the car anticipates an impact with a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist. Equally, Moving Object Detection alerts the driver to a possibly unseen object in proximity to the vehicle.
Safety assist
Euro NCAP recognises that it is always preferable to prevent accidents in the first place however, and awards points for technology which helps drivers avoid collisions.
Both the new X-Trail and the Ariya also scored exceptionally highly here with a 95% and 93% rating respectively, thanks to Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies. A comprehensive suite of these intelligent technologies is offered, including Autonomous Emergency Brake (AEB) which identifies when the car in front is braking and will start to brake the vehicle.
Both models also feature Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention which senses when another vehicle has not been seen by the driver in a neighbouring lane and will actively steer the vehicle back into lane and away from the danger.
That the new X-Trail and the Ariya achieved identical scores in the Safety Assist category reflects Nissan’s strategy of making state-of-the-art safety technology as widely available as possible across its models. And, the similarities in the other ratings between the two models tested further emphasise that point.
The strong performances of the new X-Trail and the Ariya echo the similar ratings that the Qashqai achieved when it was tested last year. The Qashqai and X-Trail are both built on the Alliance CMF-C architecture.
Following the introduction of the Juke Hybrid to the model’s range and also the addition of the e-POWER powertrain on Qashqai, Euro NCAP has confirmed that the rating for those vehicles is unaffected and that they offer the same level of driver support and protection as the traditionally powered versions.
David Moss, Senior Vice President, Regional Research & Development, AMIEO, said: “The outstanding performances of both the new X-Trail and the Ariya, which are very different vehicles, built on different platforms, demonstrates the cross-car strategy Nissan has for its models. The development of all our vehicles starts with outstanding body engineering, through the use of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to ensure excellent structural integrity. This is complemented by an advanced suite of technologies that act as a second pair of eyes, identifying potential dangers and helping the driver to avoid an accident.”
He added: “This comprehensive testing and rating programme from Euro NCAP really allows consumers to understand our dedication to safety and how seriously we take our customers’ welfare.”
Euro NCAP has been independently testing cars since 1997, measuring most of the new models which go on sale against its constantly-evolving criteria. In addition to testing the actual physical strength of the cars in various simulated collisions, the organisation also tests and scores accident prevention technology.
The full New Nissan X-Trail Euro NCAP assessment can be found here and for the Nissan Ariya here,
And links for the corresponding video content from Euro NCAP: Ariya – X-Trail
